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VIEW OF THE GRAND HALLS, FROM THE PROJECTION OF ROCK BELOW. 
(BASED ON AN IMPERFECT PHOTOGRAPH.) 



Reprint Geographical Club— Bulletin No. 2. 



A JOURNEY TO 

THE GRAND FALLS OF LABRADOR* 

BY 

HENRY G. BRYANT, M.A., LL.B. 
Recording Secretary Geographical Club of Philadelphia. 

It is a suggestive fact that the great peninsula of Lab- 
rador, although probably the first part of the American 
mainland to be seen by Europeans, contains to-day the 
largest unexplored area on the Western Continent. With- 
out disputing the evidence of the Norse records, which 
ascribe to the Vikings priority in discovering America ; and, 
whether or not, we admit that the landfall of John Cabot 
in 1497 was Labrador, as maintained by many, or a more 
southerly point on the coast, it seems certain from con- 
temporary chronicles, that Sebastian Cabot, on his second 
voyage, cruised along the coast of Labrador as early as 



* A preliminary account of the Grand Falls of Labrador appeared in The 
Century Magazine, for September, 1892. The greater part of that article is 
embodied in the present paper, and, for permission to reprint, with the 
accompanying illustrations, the author acknowledges his indebtedness to 
The Century Company. 



2 Grand Falls of Labrador. 

July, 1498 ; whereas Columbus did not reach the mainland 
of South America, near the mouth of the Orinoco River, 
until August 1 st of the same year. 1 

Following in the wake of the Cortereals, Jacques Cartier 
and other explorers, these Northern shores became the 
resort of Basque, Breton and English fishermen, who here 
reaped the rich harvest of the sea and left behind memo- 
rials of their presence, in the shape of scattered ruins and 
a string of geographical names which possess an old-world 
character which is unmistakable. 

In later times, the Labrador coast has continued to be 
the rendezvous of a large fleet of fishermen, whose numbers 
are recruited, in the main, from the neighboring colony of 
Newfoundland ; these hardy seamen possess an intimate 
knowledge of the coast ; but their interests being wholly 
connected with the sea, the interior has remained a mys- 
tery to them, while to their agency, more than any other, 
must be ascribed the reputation which has gone abroad of 
the Arctic climate and desolate interior of Labrador. It 
is undoubtedly true that the 760 miles of rocky seaboard 
stretching from the Strait of Belle Isle to Cape Chudleigh 
well merits the reputation given it by all travellers, as a 
savage and sterile coast unique in its wild desolation. The 
climate, likewise, is most severe as a result of the ice-laden 



1 For a critical discussion of early voyages to Labrador, as well as a 
comprehensive account of the geography, geology and inhabitants of the 
coast, vide : Prof. A. H. Packard's recent work, The Labrador Coast. New 
York, 1891. 

Referring to the voyages of the Cabots, the author quotes (p. 36) the 
German author Johann Georg Kohl : " 'Although on their return from their 
first voyage of 1497 the Cabots believed that the land they had discovered 
was some part of Asia, to them must be given the credit of beholding the 
American continent before Columbus ; while, with little or no doubt, Sebas- 
tian Cabot beheld in July, 1498, the mainland of Labrador, for, says Hak- 
luyt, " Columbus first saw the firmelande, August 1, 1498." ' " 



Henry G. Bryant, ALA., LL.B. 3 

Arctic current which passes along the coast. This current, 
with the north-east polar winds, produces a mean annual 
temperature, which at many places is below the freezing 
point. But the interior presents conditions much more 
attractive, and having advanced inland a short distance 
from the coast, a marked improvement is apparent. The 
forbidding character of the coast, however, has given a 
false impression of the whole country, and in this we must 
find explanation of the fact that Labrador has so rarely 
been visited by travellers, while many less accessible parts 
of the earth have gradually yielded up their secrets. 

From the time of the early navigators to the present, 
various maps embracing the Labrador peninsula have 
been published. An examination of these reveals most 
strikingly the absence of accurate information, more espe- 
cially in relation to the interior. Of the great rivers — the 
natural highways to the interior — the ignorance of geogra- 
phers has been commensurate with their information 
relating to other physical features of the country, and 
none of the maps portray the fluvial systems and great 
inland lakes with any degree of precision. The existence 
of a great table-land in the interior has long been known. 
This elevated plateau extends to the coast in the north- 
eastern part of the peninsula, and here it is said to attain 
a great height, rising precipitously from the sea and sup- 
porting mountains, some of which reach an altitude of 
six thousand feet. 2 At a point north of Hamilton Inlet 
the line of this platform seems to recede from the coast 
trending in a south-easterly direction towards the Gulf of 
St. Lawrence. The interior portion of the plateau probably 
attains its greatest elevation at a point somewhat south of 

2 Dr. Robert Bell. Report Geological and Natural History Survey of 
Canada. 1885. Vol. I, p. 8, D.D. 



4 Grand Falls of Labrador. 

the geographical centre of this elevated region. Here the 
great rivers of the peninsula have their source ; and here 
the central water-shed of the country is located where, 
within a comparatively limited area, elevated, lacustrine 
basins discharge their waters north into Ungava Bay, east 
into the Atlantic Ocean, south into the Gulf of St. Law- 
rence and west into Hudson Bay. 3 

The most important stream which flows towards the 
Atlantic seaboard is the Grand, or Hamilton River, which 
rises in the lakes on this upland and flows in a general 
south-easterly direction into Hamilton Inlet — the great arm 
of the sea which, under various names, penetrates the 
interior a distance of one hundred and fifty miles. No sci- 
entific explorer has advanced far into the country, and the 
imperfect knowledge of the interior rests almost entirely 
on the vague reports of Indians, a few missionaries, and 
information furnished by agents of the Hudson's Bay Com- 
pany. In fact, of the interior of this vast territory, esti- 
mated to contain two hundred and eighty-nine thousand 
square miles,* but little is known ; notwithstanding it is 
much nearer England and the United States than many 
portions of the globe which are frequently visited by 
travellers and scientists. 

A variety of considerations have combined to bring 
about this condition of affairs : the reputation for sterility 
which has attached itself to the country, the brevity of 
the summer season, the difficulty of navigating the rivers, 



3 While at North-west River Post, in September, 1891, I was informed 
by two aged voyageurs of the Hudson's Bay Company, who had made fre- 
quent journeys to the " Height of Land," that this water-shed is found not 
far from the site of Fort Nascopie, an outpost long since abandoned by the 
Company. 

4 Dr. G. M.Dawson. Paper read before the Field Naturalists' Club of 
Ottawa, 1890. 



Henry G. Bryant, M.A., LL.B. 5 

the absence of any commercial incentive and the indiffer- 
ence or inability of the governments concerned, all have 
united to bring about the present condition of unenlighten- 
ment. Labrador, consequently, has presented a compara- 
tively new field to the explorer. It will be of interest to 
note briefly such geographical researches as have been 
undertaken from time to time. 

As is well known, missions of the Moravian Church 
have been established on the coast for over a hundred 
years, the earliest one, Nain, dating from 1770. In 181 1, 
the brethren of one of the northern establishments 
explored the coast of Ungava Bay, which had previously 
been entered by Weymouth as far back as 1602. The mis- 
sionaries subsequently published a pamphlet, describing 
the Ungava district as a comparatively fertile area and as 
offering a suitable field for missionary effort among the 
heathen Eskimos of the north coast. According to Mr. 
W. H. A. Davies, who published a description of the 
Ungava neighborhood, 5 the appearance of this pamphlet 
first called the attention of the Hudson's Bay Company to 
this part of Labrador, with the result that Fort Chimo was 
built on the Koksoak River, twent)7--seven miles distant from 
Ungava Bay, in 1827. Referring to the attempts of the 
Company to investigate the interior, Davies says : " . . . 
it was not until 1834 that any efforts were made to explore 
the interior to the southward and eastward. In that year, 
a clerk of the Company left Fort Chimo on the sixth of 
April, to explore the country to Mingan, but when on the 
height of land, his guide refused to conduct him there, 
and brought him to Esquimaux Bay, where he arrived on 
the twenty-second of June, being the first European who had 

5 W. H. A. Davies. Notes on Ungava Bay and its Vicinity. Transac- 
tions Literary and Historical Society of Quebec. 1854. 



6 Grand Falls of Labrador. 

traversed the interior in that direction." Davies obtained 
his data from Mr. John M'Lean, who was the company's 
agent at Fort Chimo from 1837 to 1842. In the year 1839, 
this officer, while seeking- to find a more practical route 
than the one heretofore used between Ungava Bay and 
Esquimaux Bay, traversed the northern part of the penin- 
sula in canoes, travelling from north to south. He reached 
the most inland outpost of the Company, Fort Nascopie, 
which had recently been established on Lake Petchikapou. 
Finding a large stream, which he subsequently identified 
as the Grand River, issuing from the lake, he boldly set 
out to navigate it, hoping it would lead in the desired 
direction. While moving down this river, where no white 
man had been before, M'Lean discovered the Grand Falls 
of Labrador, which proved a barrier to his further descent 
of the river. Being thus frustrated in his design to estab- 
lish an inland route to North-west River Post, and finding 
the river for many miles below the Falls inaccessible, he 
abandoned his project, and says : " With heavy hearts and 
weary limbs we retraced our steps." M'Lean, however, 
subsequently learned from the Indians of a chain of lakes 
by which the Falls and Canon could be circumvented, and 
this route was used by the Hudson's Bay Company for 
many years in sending supplies from the head of Hamilton 
Inlet (Esquimaux Bay) to Fort Nascopie, the inland post 
before referred to. 

After resigning from the Company and returning to 
civilization, M'Lean published a graphic account of his 
adventures in Labrador, and his brief description of the 
Falls possesses great interest, as that of the first white 
man who ever grazed on this remote cataract. 6 The tradi- 



6 John M'Lean. Notes of a Twenty-five Years' Service in the Hudson's 
Bay Territory. London, 18^9. 



Henry G. Bryant, M.A., LL.B. 7 

tions of the Hudson's Bay Company affirm that twenty 
years after M'Lean's visit, the Grand Falls were again 
visited by an officer of the company, Joseph McPherson, 
who while on his way to Fort Nascopie, made a detour 
from the established route for the purpose of examining 
the Falls. He was guided to the spot by an Iroquois 
Indian named Louis-over-the-fire, who lived until Novem- 
ber, 1892, an aged pensioner of the Company, at North-west 
River Post. These are the only white men who, previous 
to the summer of 1891, are known to have seen the Grand 
Falls. 7 Neither M'Lean nor McPherson measured the 
height of the Falls, and, in fact, it does not appear that 
the latter ever gave any account of his visit to this region. 
To continue the brief record of Labrador exploration, 
mention should be made of the journey of Prof. H. Y. 
Hind, who thirty-two years ago started from the Seven 
Islands, on the St. Lawrence coast, and ascended the Moisie 
River, a distance of one hundred and twenty miles. 
Strictly speaking, the territory drained by this affluent of 
the St. Lawrence is not in Labrador proper, but is em- 
braced within the eastern borders of the province of 
Quebec. 

In the account of his explorations, Prof. Hind 
gives the height of the interior plateau of Labrador as 
something over two thousand two hundred feet, and this 



7 Subsequent to my departure for Labrador, I learned of another 
American expedition, under the auspices of Bowdoin College, which pro- 
posed to visit the Labrador coast during the summer of 1891. The plans 
of this expedition included the despatching up the Grand River of a sub- 
sidiary party of four students. The inland party entered the mouth of the 
river on July 27th, and two members of it, Messrs. Austin Cary and D. M. 
Cole, succeeded in reaching the Falls on August 13, 1891. Mr. Cary pub- 
lished an account of his journey in Bulletin American Geographical Society , 
Vol. XXIV, p. 1. 



8 Grand Falls of Labrador. 

idea has been accepted by most writers on the subject. 8 
Now ensued a long period, during which no traveller or 
trader disturbed the loneliness of this remote wilderness. 
Fort Nascopie, the interior post of the Hudson's Bay 
Company, was abandoned some twenty-nine years ago, and 
the Indian trail which led to it and passed within fifty 
miles of the Falls was disused in the interval. No one 
endeavored to ascend the Grand River, and the dim tradi- 
tion of the Falls was almost forgotten. 

At length, in 1887, an English traveller, Mr. R. F. 
Holme, of Oxford University, journeyed to Labrador and 
started up the Grand River, having the Falls as the objec- 
tive point of his expedition. He relied on Prof. Hind's 
statement that the cataract was a hundred miles from 
the mouth of the river, and consequently found himself 
insufficiently equipped for what proved to be a much 
longer journey. With a boat and two men he pluckily 
surmounted the difficulties of river navigation, and 
reached a point about a hundred and forty miles from the 
mouth of the river, when he was obliged to turn back by 
the failure of his provisions. Mr. Holme read an account 
of his journey before the Royal Geographical Society, 
and I am indebted to this narrative for much valuable 
information regarding the river and the conditions pre- 
vailing in the country. 9 

I am informed that another attempt to reach the Falls 
was made in the summer of 1890, by Mr. J. G. Alwyn 
Creighton, of Ottawa, Canada, who sailed down the Gulf 
of St. Lawrence as far as the mouth of the St. Augustine 
River, where he secured canoes and Indian guides and 



8 H. Y. Hind. The Labrador Peninsula. Vol. II, p. 134. London, 
1863. 

9 Proceedings Royal Geographical Society. April, 18S8. 



Henry G. Bryant, M.A., LL.B. 9 

ascended the river a considerable distance, hoping to 
reach the waters of the Grand River by an overland route 
much used by the natives. Unfortunately, he encoun- 
tered one of those great forest fires which seem to periodi- 
cally desolate great areas in Labrador. After losing some 
time in attempting, without success, to overcome this 
obstacle, he was compelled by the want of provisions to 
relinquish his project and return home. 

My attention was first drawn to the Grand Falls of 
Labrador in the early spring of 1 891, by reading a fugitive 
newspaper article on the subject. The writer referred to 
the stories current among the Indians and voyagenrs, which 
tended to prove the existence of a great waterfall in the 
interior. The author seemed inclined to accept the legen- 
dary accounts of the cataract, which ascribed to it the stu- 
pendous height of one thousand five hundred feet. There 
was something in the very idea of this distant cataract — 
thundering on for ages in that far-off land — which appealed 
forcibly to one's imagination and seemed to mark the spot 
as a worthy goal for some traveller willing to penetrate 
the interior and verify the reports long current as to 
the height and location of this natural wonder. After 
further investigation, the conviction was strengthened 
that a visit to the Grand Falls presented no insurmount- 
able obstacles. Confident, therefore, that such a trip 
would yield interesting geographical results and exciting 
sport with rod and gun, I determined to essay the 
voyage. 

I was fortunate in obtaining in Prof. C. A. Kenaston, 
of Washington, D. C., an associate who entered with 
enthusiasm into my plans. Preparations for the journey 
were made in the early part of June, 1891. The various 
articles of equipment were gotten together with some 



io Grand Falls of Labrador. 

care, and included, among other things, a Rushton canoe 
sixteen feet in length. 

We sailed from New York June 23d, on the steamship 
Portia, and arrived at St. Johns, Newfoundland, on the 
twenty-ninth of the same month. After an unexpected and 
vexatious delay here of over two weeks, we sailed from St. 
Johns on July 15 th, on the small steamship Curlew, the boat 
engaged by the Newfoundland Government to carry the 
mails on the Labrador coast during the summer. After 
calling at several ports on the north-eastern coast of New- 
foundland, our stanch little craft turned north, and, steam- 
ing through the dense fogs of the Strait of Belle Isle, 
we soon caught our first glimpse of the Labrador coast. 
The four days' sail along this coast was the most enjoyable 
part of the voyage. Space will not permit me to make 
any extended reference to the novelty and grandeur of the 
scenery which formed so impressive an introduction to 
this rugged north-land which was to be the scene of our 
wanderings. The shores presented a bold, irregular line 
of hills, wild and desolate in their aspect, and for the most 
part entirely destitute of verdure ; their precipitous bases 
presenting bold headlands to the waves of the Atlantic. 
Icebergs soon became frequent. In one day I counted 
twenty-six. Our fellow-passengers, most of whom were 
engaged in the fisheries, viewed these Polar visitors with 
the indifference born of familiarity; but for my part, I 
regarded these majestic, luminous white masses with the 
keenest interest. 

On July 23d, we arrived at Rigolet, in Hamilton Inlet. 
This is the chief station of the Hudson's Bay Company in 
Labrador, and at the time of our visit, Chief Factor P. W. 
Bell, a veteran officer of the Company, was in charge of 
the post. We were provided with letters of introduction 



Henry G. Bryant, M.A., LL.B. 1 1 

and were most hospitably received. A small schooner 
being placed at our disposal, the following day we con- 
tinued our journey into the interior, sailing westward 
through the great interior basin known as Melville, or 
Grosswater Bay. The Mealy Mountains stretch along 
the southern shore almost the entire length of the bay. 
Although it was midsummer, patches of snow were con- 
spicuous on their northern slopes. At the entrance to 
Hamilton Inlet, the distant peaks of this range are seen 
stretching away to the south. Southwest of the contracted 
channel called " The Narrows," on which Rigolet is situ- 
ated, the Mealy Mountains approach Melville Bay, giving 
a picturesque aspect to the southern shore of that great 
salt water basin. These mountains rise quite abruptly a 
few miles from the bay and appear to have an average height 
of about one thousand four hundred feet. They are said to 
be of volcanic structure and are remarkable for the regu- 
larity of the sky line which they present in many places. 
As we departed from the coast the appearance of the 
country became more attractive. A stunted growth of 
spruce covered the hills and a thick mantle of firs and moss 
softened the outlines of the rocky islands. Owing to con- 
tinuous calms, our progress was provokingly slow and 
ample opportunity was given for sketching and studying 
the country. To the north, extended a rolling, hilly region 
monotonous in comparison with the bolder country to the 
south. As we approached the western end of the bay, 
however, a conspicuous peak was seen rising from a chain 
of hills about ten miles from the north shore of the bay. 
This mountain, which is called Makaume by the Hudson's 
Bay Company officials, from its isolation as well as its 
height, dominates the entire surrounding country, forming 
a conspicuous landmark for many miles. I subsequently 



12 Grand Falls of Labrador. 

learned from the Mountaineer Indians that their name for 
this mountain is Pootakabooshkow (that which rises up). 
They endow this eminence with the same supernatural 
attributes which their brethren of the southwest ascribe 
to the great rock of Lake Mistassini ; and, when passing 
near, on no account can they be persuaded to point or 
refer to it, believing such ill conduct the inevitable fore- 
runner of stormy weather and misfortune. 

We arrived at North-west River Post at the head of 
the Bay, on July 27th. This is the most inland station of 
the Hudson's Bay Company on the Atlantic seaboard, and 
is the chief trading point of the Montagnais or Mountain- 
eer Indians, who make annual visits to this post to meet 
the Roman Catholic missionary, and to exchange the out- 
come of their winter's trapping for supplies and ammuni- 
tion. Many of the Indians had already visited the post 
and returned to the interior, but quite a number were still 
encamped in the neighborhood. The Grand River flows 
into the bay twenty-five miles from here, and at this point 
preparations were made to ascend the river. I was con- 
vinced that the proper method of ascending the Grand 
River, a swift-flowing stream abounding in rapids, was 
to secure a number of canoes and Indians to man them. 
With two large canoes in addition to our own, and a crew 
of natives acquainted with the country, we were prepared 
to attempt the difficulties of river navigation, with a fair 
prospect of achieving the object of the trip. A serious 
disappointment, as far as this part of our plan was con- 
cerned, was in store for us. A whole week was wasted in 
the vain endeavor to secure Indian guides and helpers in 
our enterprise. In addition to their disinclination to 
engage in an undertaking involving so much hard work, 
we found that a superstitious dread of the Falls obtained 



Henry G. Bryant, M.A., LL.B. 13 

among them. They firmly believe the place to be the 
haunt of evil spirits, and assert that death will soon over- 
take the venturesome mortal who dares to look upon the 
mysterious cataract. 

While at Rigolet, I had the pleasure of meeting Pere 
Lemoine, the French Canadian missionary, who was 
returning from his annual visit to the Indians at North- 
west River. He gave me much information about the 
Indians, and talked most entertainingly of his work. Soon 
after reaching the post, in company with an interpreter, I 
visited a camp of the Indians on Grand Lake with the 
object of securing a crew for my river journey. On leav- 
ing Rigolet, Pere Lemoine had handed me a letter to the 
Indians, written in their own language and accompanied 
with a translation. In this communication he commended 
me in the most simple and dignified terms to the members 
of his roaming flock, and invoked their aid in helping me 
on my journey. In spite of this credential, however, I 
found, after a two hours' interview, that it would be out 
of the question to look for aid in this quarter, as no induce- 
ments I could hold out were strong enough to overcome 
their objections to the undertaking. 

According to a census taken by the Newfoundland 
Government in 1891, the entire population of Labrador on 
the east coast from Blanc Sablon to Cape Chudleigh num- 
bered but four thousand one hundred, and this doubtless 
included Indians, Eskimos, Whites and Half-breeds. The 
Eskimos live on the coast, and seldom venture far into the 
interior. Hamilton Inlet may be regarded as the southern 
boundary of their habitat, which stretches north to the 
shores of Hudson Strait. Contact with civilization seems 
to lessen the vitality of this interesting race, and the 
Moravian missionaries declare that, like the Eskimos of 



14 



Grand Falls of Labrador. 



Alaska, they are gradually decreasing in numbers. The 
copyright, i8 92> by the Century Co. great inland plateau, dotted with 

innumerable lakes, is the home 

of the Indians. These belong to 

oflsiande ^ e Cree nation of the north-west, 

and are divided into two families : 

the Montagnais, or Mountaineers, 

who are found as far west as 

Lake St. John in the Province of 

Quebec, and the Nascopies, a 

do' less numerous tribe, who 

dwell on the barren 

grounds extending to 

the far north. 

All the Indians 
in this part of Lab- 
Roman Catho- 



GRA2VD, 
FALLS 

Height 3! 6' 



SKETCH MAP 

OF 

GRAND RIVER 

LABRADOR 
C^A.KEJSTA. S T02V,1891 

SCA.LE OF MILES 
lO 25 




The. figicres show elevations above 
the surface ofthejwerinifeet/ 



trations of 



rador are nominally 
lies ; but as the minis- 
the priest extend over a 
period of only three weeks 
each year — during which 
all marriages and baptisms are solem- 
nized — there is time in the long interval 
for many of the precepts of the Church 
to be forgotten and for inherent super- 
stition to assert itself. The heathen 
element is exemplified in the survival of 
the native " medicine men " or " con- 
jurors," as they are termed, who undoubt- 
edly wield much influence over their 
followers. The priest exerts himself to lessen the author- 
ity of this savage hierachy ; but it is well known that, 
away from his watchful care, the old barbaric incanta- 




NinniptlZiv. 



Henry G. Bryant, M.A., LL.B. 



15 



tions and prophecies are still practised. 10 For many years 
past, the sale of spirituous liquors to the Indians has 
been interdicted, and they possess many of the virtues of 
isolated native communities, while their proficiency in 
reading and writing their native language is extraordinary, 
when their limited opportunities are taken into considera- 
tion. These Labrador Indians are specimens of a primitive 
race who show but few evidences of contact with white 
men. In fact, aside from the priest and the local represen- 
tative of the Company, they rarely encounter any white 
men, and their mode of life and customs present many 
aspects of interest to the ethnologist. The caribou, or 
reindeer, furnishes the chief item of their food supply, and 
likewise provides them with covers for their wigwams and 
material for clothing. The winter of 1890-91 was notable 
for the great scarcity of this animal and a consequent 
famine among the Indians of this part of Labrador. 

A vast extent of territory is covered by these natives 
in their wanderings. Small companies, consisting of three 
or four families, usually travel together. In summer, their 



10 A Labrador correspondent, under date of August 13, 1893, informs me 
that the Roman Catholic mission to the Indians at North-west River, for 
many years under the care of the Oblate Fathers, has recently been 
abandoned. 



Copyright, 1892, by The Century Co. 




1 6 Grand Falls of Labrador. 

birch-bark canoes traverse the rivers and the chains of lakes 
which extend in all directions. In winter, they wander 
about in pursuit of game and engage in trapping, travel- 
ling over the snow on their cumbersome, circular snow- 
shoes, and dragging their toboggan-shaped sledges behind 
them. Early marriages are the rule among them, eighteen 
being the average age of the men, while the women are 
usually two years younger when they assume the responsi- 
bilities of matrimony. 

Unlike most Indian tribes, the Mountaineers, as far as 
I have been able to learn, have but elementary ideas of 
self-government, and hereditary or elective chiefs do not 
exist among them. The explanation of this may be found 
in their exemption from wars for many generations. Tra- 
ditions of conflicts with the Eskimos still exist among 
them, and it is reasonable to suppose that chiefs were 
recognized among them at that time in their history. 11 

The Nascopies, who dwell about the lacustrine basins 
of the northern part of the inland plateau, are closely 
allied to the Mountaineers in language and habits, but are 
a more hardy and primitive people. Their clothing is 
entirely composed of deer-skins, and many have no inter- 
course whatever with white men. Numbers of them, 
however, make annual visits to Fort Chimo, the station of 
the Hudson's Bay Company near Ungava Bay, where, in 
exchange for their pelts, they obtain flour, ammunition and 
a few other articles. With these products of civilization 
they fortify themselves in the battle with nature which 
mere existence in those sterile regions implies. The for- 



11 Eskimo Island, twelve miles west of Rigolet, in Melville Bay, is 
pointed out as being the scene of the last great battle between these heredi- 
tary enemies. Eskimo graves and the remains of rude breastworks are still 
to be found there. Tradition holds that the battle resulted in the defeat of 
the Eskimos. 



Henry G. Bryant, M.A., LL.B. 17 

mer Roman Catholic missionary, Pere Lecasse, on two 
occasions extended his journeys as far north as Fort 
Chimo, in order to meet the Nascopies who resorted there 
for trade ; but it is said the principles of Christianity have 
made but little headway among them. I am informed by 
one who spent two years at this Fort, that the savage cus- 
tom of killing the aged and helpless still prevails among 
the Nascopies. The victim is not despatched outright, 
however, but is supplied with sufficient food to last a few 
days and is then abandoned to a cruel death by starva- 
tion. 

Thwarted in our plan of Indian cooperation, we 
nevertheless resolved to make the best of the situation, 
and our party on starting up the river comprised, besides 
Prof. Kenaston and myself, John Montague and Geoffrey 
Ban. 

Montague, a strong young Scotchman, proved to be 
a valuable addition to our party. Emigrating from the 
Orkney Islands when a boy, he had for years followed the 
life of a "planter;" that is, had engaged in the fisheries 
during the summer and trapped in the winter, drawing his 
supplies from the Hudson's Bay Company and trading 
exclusively with them. He accompanied Mr. Holme on 
his journey in 1887, and was well acquainted with the 
lower part of the river. Geoffrey was a full-blooded 
Eskimo, twenty-five years old, born at Okkak on the north 
eastern coast. He was a typical specimen of his race and 
closely resembled the more primitive members of the 
Eskimo family, whom I subsequently encountered in north 
Greenland in the summer of 1892. Of strong and stocky 
build, he possessed likewise a swarthy, Tartar cast of 
features, and a cheerfulness of disposition which the vicis- 
situdes of travel seldom ruffled. 



1 8 Grand Falls of Labrador. 

A strong river boat, eighteen feet in length, was 
obtained for the trip, and in this were placed the supplies, 
instruments and other necessary luggage for the journey. 
The canoe containing the tent and a few smaller articles, 
was tied to the stern. 

On August 3d, our little company bade adieu to Mr. 
Charles McLaren, the officer in charge of North-west 
River Post, and turned our faces towards the wilderness. 
After advancing a distance of fifteen miles to the south, an 
adverse wind arose and we camped for the night on Rab- 
bit Island, in Goose Bay, five miles from the mouth of 
Grand River. 

The following day, after a sail of an hour and a half, 
we entered the river, which at its mouth, is over a mile 
in width. The shores of Goose Bay are quite low at this 
point, and the approach is not impressive. Vast quanti- 
ties of sand and debris are washed down by the river in the 
spring, and sand bars form at the mouth, making it difficult 
to follow a continuous channel for any length of time. 
Partly submerged stumps and logs appeared at intervals. 
There is an appreciable tide at the mouth of the river, but 
the rise and fall does not usually exceed two feet. Passing 
Man-of-War Island and the mouth of Travispines River, a 
stiff easterly wind bore us swifthy along, and a total dis- 
tance of twenty-five miles was covered before we made 
camp. For the first fifteen miles steep sand banks char- 
acterized both sides of the river. 

As we rowed up stream the next day, the northern shore 
presented steep banks of whitish clay, whose sides were 
furrowed by rain channels. Along the shore, curious clay 
concretions, in grotesque shapes, were found in profusion, 
the result, possibly, of the union of the sand in suspension 
in the river and the kaoline soil carried by erosive agencies 










: I III .1, «* 
ill IIIH III V l 






Henry G. Bryant, M.A., LL.B. 19 

into the stream. Interesting little creatures, called jump- 
ing mice (Zaphus Hudsonius), were observed in the vicin- 
ity ; but they carefully avoided the traps set for them. 

By noon we arrived at the base of the lower falls of 
the river, called Muskrat Falls by the trappers. Just 
above this point the Grand River swings around from the 
north and forms a basin over half a mile in width. At 
the lower end of this, a chain of hills encroaches on the 
bed of the river, contracting the channel and presenting a 
rocky bulwark, through which the stream has forced its 
course. There are two steps in the descent, and the total 
drop to the falls was ascertained to be sixty-six feet, while 
the width of the narrow rapid between the upper and lower 
fall was found by Prof. Kenaston to be three hundred and 
twenty feet. 

To circumvent the falls a difficult " carry " was neces- 
sary, involving a steep ascent of two hundred and ten 
feet, then a trail of half a mile through a forest of birch 
and spruce trees, and finally an abrupt descent to the 
river. 

The unwieldy character of our boat, which weighed 
over five hundred pounds, was now a serious disadvantage. 
By means of a block and tackle we dragged it up the pre- 
cipitous banks, and after much laborious lifting and pull- 
ing, launched it on the river above the falls. This opera- 
tion, and the " packing" of the "stuff" across, occupied a 
day and a half. During our subsequent advance of about 
one hundred and seventy-five miles up the river, oars and 
paddles were, for the most part, of little use, owing to the 
swiftness of the current. The only exceptions were along 
a part of the river known as " Slackwater," and on Lake 
Wanakopow, where we enjoyed the luxury of a sail for 
forty miles. The usual method employed was what is 



20 Grand Falls of Labrador. 

technically known as " tracking-." That is, a strong- rope, 
about the thickness of a clothes-line, was tied to the gun- 
wale of the boat just aft of the bow. To the shore end of 
this broad leather straps were attached. With these 
across their shoulders, three of the party tugged away 
along the rocky bank, while number four of our crew, with 
an oar lashed in the stern, steered a devious course among 
the rocks and shallows of the river. The " tow-path " in 
this instance was of the roughest and most diversified 
character. Sandy terraces and extended reaches covered 
with glacial boulders characterized the lower portion of 
the river, while further up stream, great numbers of 
smaller boulders, insecurely lodged on the precipitous 
sandy banks, would baffle us by the precarious footing 
they afforded. Where a combination of this "rubble" and 
a troublesome rapid occurred, it was only by the most 
violent exertion and no end of slipping and sliding that 
the tension of the tow-line could be maintained on the 
treacherous ground. Then, again, stretches of steep rocky 
bank, where no tracking was possible, would often compel 
us to scale the rugged cliffs and pass the line from one to 
another over various obstacles. Wading through the 
water was frequently the only resource. This was always 
the case when we reached a place in the river where the 
spring freshets had undermined the banks, and where 
numbers of trees, stumps and underbrush littered the 
shore, forming cJicvaux-de-frise of the most formidable 
character. 

The long daylight of midsummer in this subarctic 
region was a point in our favor, enabling us to work to the 
limit of our strength. Here, indeed, we found that " Night 
and day hold each other's hands upon the hill-tops. . . . 



Henry G. Bryant, M.A., LL.B. 21 

No sooner does the sun set north by west, then, like a 
giant refreshed, it rises again north by east." 12 

On the fourth day from the mouth of the river, we 
passed Porcupine Rapids without difficulty, having 
ascended a distance of fifty-seven miles. Our camp for the 
evening was in a pleasant grove recently vacated by the 
Indians. Here we found a number of the curious wicker 
frames which the natives use in bathing. These frames 
are covered with deer-skins and are erected over holes in 
the ground, into which a number of large stones, previously 
heated, are rolled. The bather is then placed within, and 
water thrown on the stones, thus creating an intensely hot 
vapor. Forests of evergreens extended back on both sides, 
and a notable increase in the size of the firs and spruces 
was observed as we advanced into the interior. Deposits 
of magnetic iron ore sand were observed on the banks of 
the river here as well as elsewhere in the lower part of its 
course. On August 9th, we reached the head of Gull 
Island Lake, which is nothing but a widening of the river. 
The lake is a favorite resort of the Canada goose, and its 
waters contain large numbers of white fish, pickerel and 
suckers. Above Gull Island Lake, the valley of the river 
contracts gradually ; the sandy terraces disappear, and 
sloping banks, strewn with erratics, are encountered for 
many miles. 

The next day, when a few miles above the lake, we 
beheld the white crests of Gull Island Rapids ahead of us. 
This was one of the dangerous points in our course, and 
we approached it with caution, taking advantage of eddies 
along the shore, where a reverse current often aided our 



1 2 L,ambert de Boilieu. Recollections of Labrador Life. London. 1861. 



22 Grand Falls of Labrador. 

advance. The successful rounding of a point or the sur- 
mountal of a bad rapid was always attended with excite- 
ment. The canoe capsized at one point ; but as the con- 
tents were lashed in, nothing was lost by the accident. 
We found it impossible to drag the heavily-loaded boat 
against the current at another place, and were compelled 
to unload and carry the stores around the worst part of the 
rapid. On this day we made but four miles. The current 
was now uniformly swift, running at about eight miles an 
hour. Parts of two days were consumed in conquering 
Horseshoe Rapid, which is divided into three distinct 
rapids. 

On August 13th, we passed the Ninnipi Rapids. These 
compare with Gull Island Rapids in difficulty, and necessi- 
tated detaching the canoe and " packing " the boat's freight 
along shore as in the previous instance. 

Judged by ordinary standards of travel, our advance 
up the river was slow indeed ; but to those who are fa- 
miliar with canoe transportation on Canadian rivers, I am 
sure our progress will appear respectable, when the un- 
wieldly character of our boat is taken into consideration. 
There seems to be something positively personal and vin- 
dictive in the resistance which rapids make to a traveller's 
advance into a wild and mountainous country. There was, 
accordingly, a cumulative feeling of satisfaction as one 
after another of these barriers of nature's making were 
surmounted. In the swollen condition of the river, the 
struggle with these wild rapids was often as savage and 
exhilarating as one could desire. John and myself usually 
took the lead on the tow-line, Geoffrey busying himself 
with keeping the line clear of snags, while to Prof. 
Kenaston was assigned the steersman's part. Bending to 
their work, the linemen would clamber along the bank, 














*'■■ 



Henry G. Bryant, M.A., LL.B. 23 

dragging the slowing yielding mass up stream. Ofttimes 
the force of the current would carry out the boat far into 
mid-stream, until the full length of line would be exhausted. 
We could do nothing then ; but hang on like grim death 
and watch our craft toss and roll amid the billows, until, 
like a spirited horse, gradually yielding to the strain, she 
would turn her head shorewards. Prof. Kenaston mean- 
while, with tense muscles bending to the steering oar, 
skilfully guided his charge amid the encompassing 
rocks and eddies — the only quiet figure on the surging 
flood of the river. At the Ninnipi Rapids the stream nar- 
rows perceptibly, and the mountains, covered with a dense 
growth of burnt timber, reach to the water's edge. The 
Ninnipi River here enters the Grand River from the south- 
west, and forms part of a canoe route used by the Indians 
in going to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. On August 14th, 
we traversed a portion of the river which Montague called 
Slackwater. Here, owing to the long stretches of smooth 
water, and infrequent rapids, rowing became practicable, 
and a distance of twenty miles was covered in two days. 
For a good portion of this distance the adjacent hills were 
covered with burnt timber, which gave a sombre aspect to 
the landscape. 

The current now became swifter and the tracking more 
arduous. On August 18th, the canoe capsized twice 
while dragging behind the boat. On the second of these 
occasions, when in the midst of a stubborn rapid, the 
weight of the submerged canoe and the heavy boat proved 
to be too much for the strong tracking line, and it broke, 
treating the steersman to an involuntary ride down stream 
for several hundred yards. On August 19th, the Mouni 
Rapids showed their troubled waters ahead of us. These 
were the last ones of a formidable nature we encountered, 



24 Grand Falls of Labrador. 

and owing- to the swollen condition of the river they gave 
us a hard tussle before they were conquered. They extend 
over a longer distance than any of the others, and the 
aneroid readings which I recorded from time to time 
showed a greater drop here in the bed of the river than at 
any other point. 

Looking back on these days spent along the river, I 
recall how each one was filled with incident and how all 
were stimulated by the uncertainty of what lay before us. 
It is the experience of many, that in recalling travels of 
this kind, the pleasant features of the time are remem- 
bered with more distinctness than the trying ones. So in 
the retrospect of this journey, many of the incidents, 
unpleasant at the time, are softened by time's perspective, 
while the bright ones stand out in bolder relief and recur to 
the memory with pleasure. One awkward adventure, 
however, which occurred on this first day on the Mouni 
Rapids, I have not yet succeeded in relegating to the 
realm of forgetfulness. We were approaching a rocky 
point, similar to many others we had encountered, past 
which the water dashed with angry violence. It was our 
custom on reaching such a place, to first detach the canoe, 
and then to shove out the boat obliquely from the still 
water, to allow her bow to fairly meet the swifter current. 
On this occasion, while Montague and I, facing up stream, 
were waiting on the bank above for the signal to ad- 
vance, the boat, through some carelessness, was pushed 
out from the quiet eddy squarely into the swift water. 
The full force of the torrent struck her abeam, and away 
she swept down stream like a thing possessed. Taken 
unawares, no time was given to throw off the leather 
straps from our shoulders, and instantly we were thrown 
from our feet and dragged over the rocks into the river by 



Henry G. Bryant, M.A., LL.B. 25 

the merciless strength of the flood. Most fortunately for 
me, the circular strap slipped over my head, as I was being 
dragged through the water. Montague's also released 
itself, and the runaway sped down stream a quarter of a 
mile before stopping. On clambering up the bank, I found 
Montague stunned and bleeding from a scalp wound. 
Aside from some abrasions of the skin, I was none the 
worse for the shaking up, and after a brief delay Montague 
revived and we resumed our " tow-path " exercise. 

The popular impression that Labrador possesses a 
climate which even in summer is too rigorous for the 
enjoyment of open-air life, was not verified on this trip. 
The temperature during the day was found to be delight- 
ful — just cool enough to be stimulating ; while the aver- 
age minimum temperature registered during the forty-one 
nights of the journey was ascertained to be but forty- two 
degrees Fahrenheit. Nor was verdure lacking in this 
sub-arctic landscape, for dense growths of spruce and fir 
extended back for miles into the blue distance, and even 
where fire had blackened the slopes of adjacent hills, the 
sombre aspect of the scene was much relieved by a second 
growth, which showed the delicate green of its leaves 
among the charred remains of the original forest. Game 
and fish proved to be fairly abundant, and two fine black 
bears were killed by members of the party. The fresh 
meat thus obtained, together with the trout captured from 
time to time, made welcome variations in the dietary of 
the expedition. 

The declining sun of August 20th beheld our small 
craft glide into the smooth waters of Lake Wanakopow. 
The first view of the lake was beautiful, and most grateful 
to our eyes after the long struggle with the rapids. Even 
Geoffrey and John, usually indifferent to scenic effects, 



26 Grand Falls of Labrador. 

could not conceal their admiration as we glided by tower- 
ing cliffs and wooded headlands, and beheld at intervals 
cascades leaping from the rocks into the lake, their silvery- 
outlines glistening in the sun and contrasting distinctly 
with the environment of dark evergreen foliage. This 
romantic sheet of water stretches in a north-easterly and 
south-westerly direction a distance of about thirty-five 
miles, and has an elevation above sea level, according to 
my aneroid observations, of four hundred and sixty- 
two feet. Low mountains of granite and gneiss rise on 
both sides, and the average width of the lake is less than 
one mile. A sounding taken near the middle showed a 
depth of four hundred and six feet. This narrow eleva- 
ted basin is probably of glacial origin, the presence of 
great numbers of boulders and the rounded appearance of 
the hill summits, pointing to a period of ice movement. 
On Saturday, August 22d, we made a good run up the 
lake, passing Mr. Holme's farthest point, and camped on 
the river bank three miles above the lake, opposite the 
mouth of the Elizabeth River, which here enters the 
Grand from the west. The next day we rested in camp ; 
taking occasion to overhaul our boat and canoe and repair 
clothing and outfit, preparatory to entering the terra incog- 
nita which lay before us. The following day we made ten 
miles, there being but little current to contend against. 
The river retained its width to a marked degree, and fre- 
quent placid expanses, having all the appearance of moun- 
tain lakes, revealed themselves as we turned the bends of 
the stream. About ten miles above the lake a very con- 
siderable river flows in from the east. On subsequent 
inquiry from the Indians, I was unable to learn of the 
existence of any native name for this stream. On August 
25th, a cold rain poured down all day, but the river pre- 



Henry G. Bryant, M.A., LL.B. 27 

sented no special difficulties, and we made eleven miles 
progress. Thirteen miles more were covered the following 
day, the water meantime becoming more shallow and lofty- 
hills arising from the shore. 

We had now reached a point over fifty miles above 
the middle of Lake Wanakopow, where Mr. Holme had 
been obliged to turn back. On his map he places the 
Grand Falls thirty miles above the lake, and represents 
the river as approaching the lake from a point west of 
south from the lake itself. We had ascertained that the 
river entered the lake from the west, instead of from the 
south-west, and we were likewise forced to realize that 
Mr. Holme was mistaken in his location of the Falls, 
as we had already reached a point considerably beyond 
their assumed position. On August 27th, after advancing 
three miles, we came to a wide, shallow rapid, over which 
it was impossible to draw the boat. Finding no possible 
channel in the river, we judged that we were in the neigh- 
borhood of the " Big Hill," the head of boat navigation 
and the point where the Indian voyageurs left the river, in 
the old days when the Hudson's Bay Company sent crews 
to their inland post. 

While at the North-west River Post we had learned 
from a reliable Indian, that the old trail, long disused, led 
from this point on the river to a chain of lakes on the 
table-land. By following these lakes and crossing the 
intervening " carries," the rapid water which extends for 
twenty-five miles below the Falls could be circumvented 
and the traveller brought finally to the waters of the 
Grand River, many miles above the Grand Falls. Our 
plan was to follow this old trail for several days, and then 
to leave the canoe and strike across country in a direction 
which we hoped would bring us again to the river in the 



28 Grand Falls of Labrador. 

vicinity of the Falls. It was deemed best to follow this 
circuitous canoe route, rather than to attempt to follow the 
banks of the river on foot, in which case everything would 
have to be carried on our backs through dense forests for 
many miles. 

After a long search, the old trail was found, and 
leaving Geoffrey in charge of the main camp on the river, 
the other members of the party took the canoe and a week's 
provisions, and began the ascent of the steep path which 
led up to the edge of the elevated plateau, which here 
approaches the river. Making a " carry " of three miles to 
the north along the old trail, we reached the first of the 
chain of lakes, where we erected a rude shelter and 
camped for the night. A violent storm arose during the 
night, and next day we lost much time in seeking for the 
continuation of the trail on the opposite side of the lake. 
Having been disused for twenty-seven years, the path, 
where it came out on the lake shore, was distinguished by 
no " blazes " on the trees, or recent choppings. This 
necessitated a careful examination of the shores on all the 
lakes, and caused considerable delay. 

We were now on the great table-land of the Labrador 
interior, and wishing to get a good outlook, climbed a con- 
spicuous hill nearby, to scan the adjacent country: A 
view truly strange and impressive was before us. As far 
as the eye could reach, extended an undulating country, 
sparsely covered with stunted spruce trees, among which 
great weather-worn rocks gleamed, while on all sides 
white patches of caribou moss gave a snowy effect to the 
scene. A hundred shallow lakes reflected the fleeting 
clouds above, their banks lined with boulders, and pre- 
senting a labyrinth of channels and island passages. Low 
Jiills arose at intervals among the bogs and lakes ; but the 



• Henry G. Bryant, M.A., LL.B. 29 

general effect of the landscape was that of flatness and 
bleak monotony. 

The continuation of the old Nascopie trail remaining 
invisible, to escape the discomfort of another rainy night 
on the plateau, we returned to the shelter of the camp on 
the river. On August 30th, we returned to Geoffrey Lake, 
where our patient search for the trail was at last successful. 

Next day we advanced along the trail which led us 
over four " carries " and across five lakes. For convenience 
of reference, we applied names to some of these small sheets 
of water. Thus, the third one ofthe chain was designated 
" Gentian Lake," from finding the closed variety of the blue 
Sfentian growing on its borders. The next dav we turned 
aside from the dim trail and paddled to the north-western 
extremity of the sixth lake, where we drew the canoe ashore 
and prepared for the tramp across country. Arrayed in 
heavy marching order, and carrying nearly all that 
remained of our provisions, we were soon advancing west- 
ward on a course which we hoped would soon bring us to 
the river in the vicinity of the Falls. The country we were 
now passing through was of the most desolate character, 
denuded of trees and the surface covered with caribou 
moss, Labrador tea plants, blueberry bushes, and thousands 
of boulders. By keeping to the ridges, fair progress was 
made ; but when compelled to leave the higher ground and 
skirt the borders of the lakes, dense thickets of alders and 
willows were encountered, and these greatly impeded our 
advance. Language seems inadequate to describe the deso- 
lation of this upland landscape. No living thing was 
encountered, and the silence of primordial time reigned 
supreme. 

Just before sunset we went into camp on a hillside 
near a large lake, and soon after, from the top of a high 



30 Grand Falls of Labrador. 

rock, beheld a great column of mist rising like smoke 
against the western sky. This we knew marked the posi- 
tion of the Falls, and needless to say, our spirits rose — 
oblivious of our bleak surroundings — as we contemplated 
the near attainment of our journey's end. During the 
night the thermometer registered a minimum temperature 
of forty-one degrees, and we were treated to a superb dis- 
play of Northern Lights. 

September 2d was a day memorable as marking the 
date of our arrival at the Grand Falls. A rough march 
over the rocks and bogs intervened, however, before we 
reached this goal. As we'approached the river, spruce for- 
ests of a heavier growth appeared, and pressing on through 
these, although we could no longer see the overhanging 
mist, the deep roar of falling waters was borne to our ears 
with growing distinctness. After what seemed an intol- 
erable length of time — so great was our eagerness — a space 
of light in the trees ahead made known the presence of the 
river. Quickening our steps, we pushed on, and with 
beating hearts emerged from the forest near the spot where 
the river plunged into the chasm with a deafening roar. 

A single glance showed that we had before us one of 
the greatest waterfalls in the world. Standing at the 
rocky brink of the chasm, a wild and tumultuous scene 
lay before us, a scene possessing elements of sublimity 
and with details not to be apprehended in the first 
moments of wondering contemplation. Far up stream 
one beheld the surging, fleecy waters and tempestuous bil- 
lows, dashing high their crests of foam, all forced onward 
with resistless power towards the steep rock, whence they 
took their wild leap into the deep pool below. Turning to 
the very brink and looking over, we gazed into a world of 
mists and mighty reverberations. Here the exquisite 



Henry G. Bryant, M.A., LL.B. 31 

colors of the rainbow fascinated the eye, and majestic 
sounds of falling waters continued the pean of the ages. 
Below and beyond the seething caldron the river appeared, 
pursuing its turbulent career, past frowning cliffs and over 
miles of rapids, where it heard " no sound save its own 
dashings." The babel of waters made conversation a 
matter of difficulty, and after a mute exchange of con- 
gratulations, we turned our attention to examining the 
river in detail above and below the Falls. 

A mile above the main leap, the river is a noble stream 
four hundred yards wide, already flowing at an accelerated 
speed. Four rapids, marking successive depressions in 
the river bed, intervene between this point and the Falls. 
At the first rapid the width of the stream is not more than 
one hundred and seventy-five yards, and from thence 
rapidly contracts until reaching a point above the escarp- 
ment proper, where the entire column of fleecy water is 
compressed within rocky banks not more than fifty yards 
apart. 

Here the effect of resistless power is extremely fine. 
The maddened waters sweeping downwards with terrific 
force, rise in great surging billows high above the encom- 
passing banks ere they finally hurl themselves into the 
gulf below. A great pillar of mist rises from the spot, and 
numerous rainbows span the watery abyss, constantly 
forming and disappearing amid the clouds of spray. An 
immense volume of water precipitates itself over the rocky 
ledge, and under favorable conditions the roar of the 
cataract can be heard for twenty miles. Below the falls, 
the river turning to the south-east, pursues its maddened 
career for twenty-five miles shut in by vertical cliffs of 
gneissic rock which rises in places to a height of four hun- 
dred feet. The rocky banks above and below the falls 



32 Grand Falls of Labrador. 

are thickly wooded with firs and spruces, among which 
the graceful form of the white birch appears in places. 

Soon after our arrival, Prof. Kenaston, with Mon- 
tague's aid, set about making a measurement of the falls. 
In an address delivered before the National Geographic 
Society, January 29, 1892, Prof. Kenaston described the 
method employed as follows : " At St. Johns, New- 
foundland, we had provided ourselves with several balls of 
stout linen cord with which to measure the height of the 
fall, if the situation should be found suitable. Fortunately, 
alongside the chute just above the brink of the main cata- 
ract, we found a floor of rock of the same slope, about 
thirty degrees below the horizontal. Along this it was 
possible to go, but with some peril, nearly to the edge 
over which the stream plunges in its final descent. Fasten- 
ing a heavy billet of green fir to one end of the cord, the 
weight was carried and thrown down on the surface of the 
rock to the brink of the falls, the cord being paid out from 
the upper end of the slope. A knot was made in the cord 
to mark the distance to the edge, and the billet was 
allowed to fall over the edge of the precipice into the 
chasm. Montague, having climbed along the bank at the 
edge of the canon, was holding on by the trunk of a tree, 
from which he could see when the block of wood struck 
the water below as the cord was paid out by me above. 
The instant of contact was plainly visible to him, and 
and I was equally sensible of it. The cord was now drawn 
up over the edge and carefully measured with a tape-line. 
The whole length paid out was five hundred and five feet, 
the part which measured the slope was one hundred and 
eighty-nine feet, leaving for the height of the main fall 
below the chute, three hundred and sixteen feet. Allowing 
for a few degrees deviation from the perpendicular, and for 



Henry G. Bryant, M.A., LL.B. 33 

a slight stretching of the cord, though this last was probably 
counteracted by wetting, the height of the fall may be 
considered something more than three hundred feet. The 
vertical height of the chute, about thirty-two feet added to 
the other measurement, makes the descent from the head 
of the chute to the surface of the water in the chasm about 
three hundred and forty-eight feet." 

While Prof. Kenaston and Montague were mak- 
ing this direct measurement of the Falls, an incident 
occurred which illustrated the cool daring of the latter in 
a striking manner. The water, at the time of our visit, 
was probably as low as it ever is in the Grand River. In 
fact, from the debris lodged high up on the banks, we 
judged the stream had fallen at least ten feet from the 
high-water mark of the spring freshets. This drop in the 
river left exposed a considerable surface of the rocky ledge 
which was usually covered by water, forming part of the 
brink of the fall. After measuring the length of the pre- 
liminary incline leading to the main leap, Montague was 
directed to cast the plummet-line over the rocky edge of 
the escarpment, in order to secure the measurement of the 
principal fall. This was done ; but while Prof. Kenas- 
ton was paying out the line, it caught in a slight crevice, 
and to complete the measurement it became necessary to 
free it at once. Without a moment's hesitation, our brave 
John clambered down the steep bank and walked out on 
the very brink of the chasm, where, stooping down, with 
the spray of the passing flood wetting his cheek, he loos- 
ened the line and returned to the bank in safety. A single 
misstep or the slightest giddiness on his part, while on 
that dizzy height, would have resulted tragically. But to 
think was to act with this hardy Scotchman, and, truly, 
his cool head and nerve served him well on this occasion. 



34 Grand Falls of Labrador. 

While these direct measurements were being made, I 
turned my attention to obtaining a number of photographs 
of the falls and rapids, and then to securing the baro- 
metric readings above and below the cataract. In order to 
obtain an observation at the lower bed of the river, it was 
necessary to descend the steep walls of the canon. This I 
found to be a hazardous and exciting undertaking. Walk- 
ing along the edge of the gorge just below the falls, two 
places seemed to offer possible means of access to the 
river below. At both points I attempted the descent, 
only to find, after lowering myself "from tree to tree down 
the bank, that a sheer precipice extended the remaining 
fifty or seventy-five feet to the surface of the water. On 
the third trial, by following the course of a tiny streamlet 
the bed of the river was finally reached. By this time the 
day was far spent, and darkness almost enveloped the 
scene down in that imprisoned channel bed. The situa- 
tion was interesting, and filled with the charm of a first 
glimpse into one of nature's solitudes. In front, the great 
river, roaring hoarsely in the gloom, and just entering on 
its final journey over miles of rapids to the sea. On the 
opposite bank, a splendid cliff of pinkish hue led the eye 
from the gloomy base, in one long sweep hundreds of feet 
aloft to the utmost pinnacle, which still glowed a few brief 
moments in the departing rays of the sun. 

The aneroid reading and the temperature recorded, a 
few minutes were given to contemplating the strange 
beauty of the scene, and then began the toilsome climb to 
the upper world. Darkness had settled over all when I 
clambered over the edge above and made my way through 
the forest to the camp, just above the falls. My long 
absence had alarmed my companions, who welcomed my 
appearance within the circle of the camp-fire with expres- 




H>^ 



m 



% 






^•XCjIS^.^iwisL i :UU 



* &1 



Henry G. Bryant, M.A., LL.B. 35 

sions of relief. It was after nine o'clock when I sat down 
to a frugal supper that night, somewhat footsore and weary- 
after the stirring events of the da} 1 -. 

The difficulties of obtaining near views of laro-e 
masses of falling water are admitted by all photogra- 
phers. In the case of the Grand Falls, this is increased 
by the character of the surroundings. The great volume 
of water compressed as it is, and discharging itself through 
a funnel-like channel in the rocks, falls in a thick narrow 
column a distance of three hundred and sixteen feet, send- 
ing up banks of vapor and presenting the appearance from 
a distance of a great pillar of cloud. The vegetation is 
affected by this vapory condition of the atmosphere, and 
thin patches of green moss, unlike anything seen else- 
where, were conspicuous on the face of the cliffs just 
below the Falls. Notwithstanding the apparent futility of 
the attempt, I endeavored to obtain two views looking 
across the main leap, from the bank near the brink. These 
negatives proved to be failures on development. By 
descending the bank as far as the steep incline per- 
mitted and hanging to the roots of the dwarf fir trees 
growing thereabouts, I was able, by watching for a 
favorable moment when the veil of mist lightened, to 
secure a near view of part of the main leap. It was 
apparent that the best vantage ground for viewing the 
face of the Fall was from a point where the canon wall 
jutted out a short distance into the deep pool below the 
Falls. This point of view I estimate was from one hundred 
and fifty to two hundred feet from the column of descending 
water, and down its rocky edge one could not creep more 
than fifteen feet before encountering the almost vertical 
wall which led to the river-bed below. While the rising 
vapor did not envelope us here as when nearer the brink, 



36 Grand Falls of Labrador. 

yet the effect of it, rising in banks from the base, while 
not unpleasing to the eye, detracted somewhat from the 
fine sweep of the Fall, the outline of which we could see 
descending behind the veil of mist. While on this rocky 
buttress, I took a photograph of the Falls and one of the 
lower part of the Falls, showing the mist rising from the 
bottom, both of which proved to be far from satisfactory. 

To explain further the lack of definition in those 
photographs, I will add that the afternoon was far advanced 
when they were taken and the light far from good. The 
sun was already well down in the western sky, across the 
river from me, and in the worst possible position for my 
purpose. I emphasize this feature of the occasion, because 
it materially affected the result; for had the sun shone 
from the south instead of the west, I think it would have 
been quite possible to secure a view showing at least the 
outline of the Falls. On the afternoon in question, how- 
ever, the conditions were quite the contrary, hence the 
unsatisfactory results. 

In my descent to the bottom of the canon I carried 
my camera, but I was unable to obtain a view of the fall 
from the lower bed of the river, because a projecting point 
of rock several hundred yards up-stream cut off a distant 
view of the spectacle. The steep walls of the gorge, 
against which the water dashed in places, prevented any 
considerable advance up-stream, and I was reluctantly 
compelled to abandon my purpose of returning the follow- 
ing morning to secure photographs of the Falls from this 
lower position. 

I felt at the time that while the view of the rapids and 
canon promised well, those of the fall could not be other- 
wise than unsatisfactory. I consoled myself, however, by 
the thought that the morning light of the following day 



Henry G. Bryant, M.A., LL.B. 37 

would prove more propitious. Great was my disappoint- 
ment, then, when the third of September dawned a dull 
and threatening- day. The notes in my journal, written at 
the time, express my keen regret at the turn affairs had 
taken. 

Friends have naively remarked, when I expressed my 
regret at not obtaining a good view of the main Falls, 
" Why did you not remain encamped at the Falls until 
you had secured satisfactory photographs of this most 
important object?" Our provisions were all but ex- 
hausted, only enough remaining after breakfast for two 
scanty meals. To have remained under the circumstances 
seemed to risk starvation, for owing to the absence of all 
game from the vicinity there appeared to be no means of 
eking out our supplies by the usual devices of the woods- 
man. Thus, I decided to delay no longer for clearing 
weather; and the two days' storm which supervened 
proved, I think, the wisdom of the step. 

The deep, incessant roar of the cataract that night was 
our lullaby as, stretched out under a rough " barricade," 
we glided into that realm of forgetfulness where even sur- 
roundings strange as ours counted as naught. 

By the morning light we again viewed the wonders of 
the place, and sought for some sign of the presence of bird 
or animal in the vicinity; but not a track or the glint of 
a bird's wing rewarded our quest, and this avoidance of the 
place by the wild creatures of the forest seemed to add a 
new element of severity to the eternal loneliness of the spot. 

The Grand Falls of Labrador, with their grim environ- 
ment of time-worn, archaic rocks, are one of the scenic won- 
ders of this Western world, and if nearer civilization, would 
be visited by thousands of travellers every year. They 
are nearly twice as high as Niagara, and are only inferior 



38 Grand Falls of Labrador. 

to that marvellous caratact in breadth and volume of water. 
One of their most striking characteristics is the astonishing 
leap into space which the torrent makes in discharging 
itself over its rocky barrier. From the description given 
of the rapid drop in the river-bed and coincident narrowing 
of the channel, one can easily understand that the cumula- 
tive energy expended in this final leap of the pent-up 
waters is truly titanic. 

If a sub-stratum of softer rock existed here, as at 
Niagara, a similar " Cave of the Winds " would enable one 
to penetrate a considerable distance beneath the fall. The 
uniform structure of the rock, however, prevents any 
unequal disintegration, and thus the overarching sheet 
of water covers a nearly perpendicular wall, the base of 
which is washed by the waters of the lower river. In spite 
of the fact that no creature, except one with wings, could 
hope to penetrate this sub-aqueous chamber, the place is 
inhabited, if we are to believe the traditions of the Lab- 
rador Indians. Many years ago, so runs the tale, two 
Indian maidens, gathering firewood near the Falls, were 
enticed to the brink and drawn over by the evil spirit of 
the place. During the long years since then, these unfor- 
tunates have been condemned to dwell beneath the fall 
and forced to toil daily dressing deer-skins ; until now, no 
longer young and beautiful, they can be seen betimes 
through the mist, trailing their white hair behind them 
and stretching out shrivelled arms towards any mortal who 
ventures to visit the confines of their mystic dwelling-place. 

The Indian name for the Grand Falls — Pat-ses-che-wan 
— means "The Narrow Place Where the Water Falls." 
Like the native word Niagara — " Thunder of Waters," — 
this Indian designation contains a poetic and descriptive 
quality which it would be hard to improve. 



Henry G. Bryant, M.A., LL.B. 39 

From the point where the river leaves the plateau and 
plunges into the deep pool below the Falls, its course for 
twenty-five miles is through one of the most remarkable 
canons in the world. From the appearance of the sides 
of this gorge, and the zigzag line of the river, the indica- 
tions are that the stream has slowly forced its way through 
this rocky chasm, cutting its way back, foot by foot, from 
the edge of the plateau to the present position of the Falls. 
Recent investigators estimate that a period of six thousand 
years was required to form the gorge below Niagara Falls ; 
or, in other words, that it has taken that time for the Falls 
to recede from their former position at Queenstown 
Heights to their present location. If it has taken this 
length of time for the Niagara Falls to make their way 
back a distance of seven miles by the erosive power of the 
water acting on a soft shale rock supporting a stratum of 
limestone, the immensity of time involved by assuming 
that the Grand River canon was formed in the same way 
is so great that the mind falters in contemplating it, espe- 
cially when it is recognized that the escarpment of the 
Labrador Falls is of hard gneissic rock. And yet no other 
explanation of the origin of this gorge is acceptable, 
unless, indeed, we can assume that at some former time a 
fissure occurred in the earth's crust as a result of igneous 
agencies, and that this fissure ran in a line identical with 
the present course of the river; in which case the drainage 
of the table-land, collecting into the Grand River, would 
follow the line of least resistance, and in the course of time 
excavate the fissure into the present proportions of the 
gorge. 

The highest point reached by the expedition was in 
the vicinity of the Falls, where, according to the aneroid 
observations obtained, an elevation something in excess of 



40 Grand Falls of Labrador. 

fifteen hundred feet was noted. Accepting the fact that 
results obtained by the aneroid barometer are not regarded 
as conclusive by careful observers, it is, nevertheless, 
apparent that the altitudes obtained can be taken as at 
least approximately correct, especially where it is borne in 
mind that a standard instrument was used, and corrections 
for temperature made in every instance. Thus it would 
appear that the idea advanced by Prof. Hind and gen- 
erally accepted, that the interior table-land of Labrador 
attains a general elevation of over two thousand feet is 
erroneous, and future travellers will be called on to con- 
firm or reject this important point relating to the con- 
figuration of the interior. 

Having accomplished the main object of the trip, we 
left a record of our visit on the river bank, and set out on 
our return from this distant end of the expedition. A cold 
rain poured down during the first day's tramp across the 
barren plateau, and owing to a mistake in the course 
taken, we missed our former track, and became entangled 
in a lacustrine region, where we wandered for hours 
unable to make any headway among the encompassing 
lakes. In the humid air landmarks became indistinct, and 
plunging on through bogs and over sharp rocks, cold, wet, 
and wearied with the weight of our packs, and with 
only enough flour remaining for one meal, our condition 
was unpleasant in the extreme. But dismal thoughts of 
being: lost in this " great and terrible wilderness " incited 
us to unusual efforts, and at length, by making a long 
detour, a slight eminence was gained from which we could 
pick out a course in the desired direction. Late in the 
day we camped on a hillside under the shelter of a great 
boulder. During the night the rain continued, accom- 
panied by thunder and lightning, and towards morning a 



Henry G. Bryant, M.A., LL.B. 41 

high wind arose which demolished our " barricade " of sail- 
cloth and brush. The most comfortless night of the 
entire trip was passed in this camp on the bleak shores of 
a lake on this cheerless table-land. Soon after daybreak 
we each made a breakfast on a cup of hot tea, and resumed 
our march towards the canoe. 

After a rough scramble of nine miles, we arrived at 
the lake, launched our canoe, and soon after fortified our- 
selves with a full meal. Returning through the chain of 
lakes by the route we had recently used, we arrived in due 
time at the camp on the river, where Geoffrey was await- 
ing our return with some anxiety. Our trials were almost 
ended when we reached the river ; and having embarked 
on it, the swift current carried us down stream with 
exhilarating speed. Delaying only long enough to make 
a compass survey of the stream, in seven days the mouth 
of the river was reached without serious mishap — a dis- 
tance which required nearly a month's hard work in 
ascending. 

A series of fierce gales detained us a week at North- 
west River, and we did not arrive at Rigolet until Sep- 
tember 22d. Mr. Bell having kindly furnished us with a 
small schooner, we proceeded in this to Indian Harbor, a 
fishing station on the coast, where we had the good 
fortune to find a Norwegian steamship which was about 
to sail for St. Johns. We were soon established in com- 
fortable quarters on board, and sailing the same day, made 
a quick run to St. Johns, Newfoundland, from which point 
I took a steamer to New York, where I arrived on October 
15th; thus completing a journey of over four thousand 
miles. 

Among the results obtained by the expedition may 
be mentioned the following: (1) The measurement of 



4 2 Grand Falls of Labrador. 

the height of the Grand Falls. (2) Determination of the 
altitude of the table-land of south-eastern Labrador. (3) 
Map of lower course of the Grand River, from com- 
pass survey. (4) Meteorological observations extending 
over the six weeks of the journey. (5) Botanical collec- 
tion illustrating Labrador flora. (6) Ethnological collec- 
tion illustrating life and customs of mountaineer Indians 
and Eskimos. 

During the journey we suffered some inconvenience 
from the absence of two commonplace articles — soap and 
baking powder; but the most serious affliction we were 
called on to endure arose from the endless persecution of 
the black flies and mosquitoes. These venemous insects 
are said to be worse in Labrador than in any other region, 
and their baneful presence greatly detracts from the enjoy- 
ment of summer travel in that country. 

It is to be hoped that the attention of scientific trav- 
ellers will be drawn to Labrador, which presents almost a 
virgin field to the investigator. 12 The shortness of the 
summer season and the sterility of the country preclude the 
successful tillage of the soil, and, in an agricultural sense, 
I can see no future for Labrador. But it is evident that 
the results of exploration in this isolated portion of North 
America would be of great value to geographical science, 
while it would not be at all strange if geological dis- 
coveries of commercial value would reward the enterprising 
pioneer in this new field of research. 13 

1 2 Valuable and interesting results may be expected from the expedition 
sent out, in June, 1893, by the Geological and Natural History Survey of 
Canada, to explore the interior of Labrador. The leader of the expedition 
is Mr. A. P. Low, an experienced officer of the Survey, who proposes to be 
absent eighteen months, and to traverse the country north from Lake Mis- 
tassini to Ungava Bay and west from Hamilton Inlet to the shores of Hud- 
son Bay. 

13 Prof. A. S. Packard (Mem. Boston Soc. of Nat. His., Vol. I), referring 



Copyright, 1892, by The Century Co. 




36= w 



the canon, a quarter of a mile below the grand i \l i--. 
(from a photograph. 



Henry G. Bryant, M.A., LL.B. 43 

In closing, I take the liberty of quoting Dr. M. Harvey, 
who, in concluding a descriptive account of our journey, 
remarks : 14 

" It will be a long time before the Grand Falls of 
Labrador become a resort for ordinary tourists. Nature 
has placed this magnificent cataract in one of her deepest 
solitudes and guarded the approaches to it with jealous 
care. For unknown myriads of years its deep, thunderous 
diapason has been resounding through this grim wilder- 
ness. Thousands on thousands of years before the founda- 
tions of the Great Pyramid were laid, till the close of the 
glacial period, when the great ice-cap, three thousand feet 
thick, was lifted from Labrador, and its river systems were 
shaped, we must look for the genesis of the Grand Falls. 
When we look at the great chasm in the solid rock, twenty- 
five or thirty miles in length, and three hundred feet in 
depth, which this river has slowly excavated, as it cuts its 
way backward at the rate of a few feet in a century, we 
obtain some dim idea of the length of time that has 
elapsed since its waters began to flow. The imagination 
faints at the conception. What are we in comparison but 
ephemera of an hour. Man and all his works are but of 
yesterday when contrasted with this creation of the gray 
morning of time in the vast lonely land where desolation 
sits enthroned for evermore." 



to a system of quartzite and trap rocks which extend along the coast about 
one hundred and twenty-five miles from Domino Harbor to Cape Webuc, 
gives an interesting account of these strata and remarks: " Should further 
search prove the existence, in connection with the quartzite of beds of a 
true conglomerate, which we should look for in the interior, and of the 
presence of copper ore in connection with quartz veins near the trap rocks, 
the identity of this formation with the Huronian rocks of Canada and 
similar rocks in Sweden would seem satisfactory ; and, if proven, will be 
interesting, not only to the geologist, but be of practical value in the search 
or ores on this coast." 

14 New York Tribune. October 20, 1891. 



44 Grand Falls of Labrador, 

APPENDIX A. 

ETHNOLOGICAL COLLECTION OBTAINED AT NORTH- 
WEST RIVER AND VICINITY, LABRADOR, 
AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER, 1891. 

Deposited in the National Museum, Washington, D.C. 



MONTAGNAIS, OR MOUNTAINEER INDIANS. 

Museum 
Number. 

1 53.493- Prayer Book and Calendar, in native language. 

153,494. Letter on Birch Bark, written by an Indian. 

1 53.495- Beaming Tool, made from leg-bone of reindeer. 

1 53)496. Woman's Cap, with bead ornaments. 

1 53.497- Comb Case (shecowan) and Cleaner {onsnac). 

153.498. Knife {mohentagen). 

153.499. Awl (pesemdri). 

l S3,S°°- Grainer {mcc/icquat), used in preparing skins. 

I 53»5° I - Primitive form of Fish-Hook and Line. 

153,502. Reindeer Sinew used as thread. 

I 53.5°3- Woman's Work Bag {menatis), made from leg- 
skins of young reindeer. 

I 53>5°4- Tool Bag iosliatunas). 

153,505. Wallet for Gun Caps. 
153,506-7. Moccasins. 

153,508. Wallet with bead ornaments, used by women. 

1 53»5°9- Snow-Shoes. 

153.510. Conjuror's Drum. 

153.511. Sled or Toboggan. 

153.512. Photographs. 



Museum 
Number. 

153,513 
153,514 

153,515 
153,516 

153,517 
153,518 
153,519 



Henry G. Bryant, M.A., LL.B. 45 

ESKIMOS — HAMILTON INLET AND VICINITY. 

Woman's Work Bag. 

Dog-Whip, 32^ feet long. 

Native Drawing. 

Boots made of Seal-skin. 

Mitts for feet of sledge dog. 

Woman's Coat of Seal-skin, with fox trimming. 

Mittens, with fox-skin trimming. 



1 53,520-22. Pouches of Seal-skin. 



APPENDIX B. 

LIST OF PLANTS OBTAINED ON GRAND RIVER 

EXPEDITION, AUGUST AND 

SEPTEMBER, 1891. 

Collected by Prof. C. A. Kenaston. 

Determined by the late Dr. G. Vasey, Department of Agriculture, 
Washington, D. C. 

[Plants which have hitherto not been found in any existing catalogue of 
Labrador Flora, k?iown to the author, are indicated by an asterisk. ] 



RANUNCULACE^E. 

* Actaea alba, Bigel. 

* Actaea spicata, L. var. rubra, Art. 

* Aquilegia (undetermined). 

SARRACENIACE^E. 

Sarracenia purpurea, L. 

CARYOPHYLLACE,E. 

Arenaria peploides, L. 



46 Grand Falls of Labrador. 

LEGUMINOS.E. 

Lathyrus maritimus, Bigel. 

ROSACEA. 

* Amelanchier. 

* Fragaria Virginiana, Duchesne. 
Potentilla Norvegica, L. 
Potentilla palustris, Scop. 
Potentilla tridentata, Sol. 
Poterium Canadense, B. & H. 
Prunus Pennsylvania, Lf. 
Rubus Chamasmorus, L. 
Rubus triflorus, Richard. 

* Rubus villosus, Ait. 

SAXIFRAGACE^E. 

* Ribes rubrum, L. 

ONAGRACE^. 

Epilobium latifolium, L. 

UMBELLIFER^E. 

Heracleum lanatum, Michx. 

CORNACE^E. 

Cornus Canadensis, L. 

CAPRIFOLIACE.E. 

Linnsea borealis, Gronov. 

COMPOSITE. 

Achillea Millefolium, L. 

* Artemisia Canadensis, Michx. 

* Aster acuminatus, Michx. 

* Solidago humilis, Pursh. 

ERICACEAE. 

Andromeda polifolia, L. 
Chiogenes hispidula, T. & G. 
Kalmia angustifolia, L. 



Henry G. Bryant, M.A., LL.B. 47 

Kalmia glauca, Ait. 
Ledum latifolium, Art. 
Pyrola chlorantha, Swartz. 

* Pyrola elliptica, Nutt. 
Pyrola secunda, L. 

* Vaccinium Canadense, Kalm. 
Vaccinium oxycoccus, L. 
Vaccinium Vitis, Idsea, L. 

GENTIANACE^E. 

Menyanthes trifoliata, L. 

POLYGONACE^E. 

Polygonum viviparum, L. 

* Rumex Acetosella, L. 

SCROPHULARIACE^E. 

Castilleia pallida, Kunth, Var. septentrionalis, Gray. 

SANTALACE.E. 

Commandra livida, Richards. 

MYRICACE.E. 

* Myrica gale, L. 

BETULACE.-E. 

Alnus viridis, D. C. 
Betula papyrifera, Mars. 

SALICACE^£. 

* Salix lucida, Muhl. 

EMPETRACEiE. 

Empetrum nigrum, L. 

CONIFERS. 

Juniperus communis, L. 

Juniperus communis, Var. alpina, Gand. 

Picea alba, Link. 

iridaceac. 

Iris Hookeri, Penny. 



48 Grand Falls of Labrador. 

LILIACE^E. 

Clintonia borealis, Raf. 

* Smilacina bifolia, D. C. 

* Smilacina racemosa, Desf. 
Streptopus roseus, Michx. 

jUNCACEyE. 

* Juncus Balticus, Dethard. 

* Juncus trifidus, L. 

CYPERACE/E. 

Carex canescens, L., var., alpicola, Wahl. 
Eriophorum russeolum, Fries. 

* Scirpus sylvaticus, L. 

GRAMENTEJE. 

* Elymus arenarius, L. 
Elymus mollis, Trin. 

* Calamagrostis Canadensis (Hook.), Beauv. 

* Calamagrostis Langsdorffi, Trin. 
Trisetum subspicatum, Beauv. 

EQUISETACE^E. 

Equisetum (undetermined). 

FILICES. 

* Aspidium spinulosum, Swartz. 

* Phegopteris Dryopteris, Fee. 

LYCOPODIACEyE. 

* Lycopodium annotinum, L. 

* Lycopodium clavatum, L. 

* Lycopodium complanatum, L. 

MUSCl. 

* Hypnum Sclireberi. 

* Hypnum Castrensis. 

* Polytrichum juniperinum. 

LICHENE3. 

Cladonia rangiferina. 
Parmelia (undetermined). 



METEOROLOGIC 




Locality 



8 A.M. 
S P.M. 
8 A.M. 



8 A.M. 

630 P.M. 

8 A.M. 

4 P.M. 
5'3oP.M. 

8 A.M. 



Rabbit Island, 
Mouth of Grand River, 
Muskrat Island, . 
Top of Portage Muskra 
Top of Portage Muskra 
River level above Musk 
Sandy Bank, . . 
Pinuett's River, . 
Gull Island Lake, 
Head of Gull Island Re 
Head of Gull Island Ra 
Bottom of Lower Horse 
Top of Lower Horseshi 
Top of Lower Horseshc 
Lower Ninnipi Island, 
Lower Ninnipi Island, 
Ninnipi Rapid, .... 
Ninnipi kapid, .... 

12 miles above Ninnipi 

Slackwater, 

Slackwater, 

Slackwater, 

Cascade, 

2 miles above Cascade 

2 miles ab<>ve Cascade, 

7 miles above Cascade, 
Crescent Lake, . 
Crescent Lake, . 
5 miles above Crescent 
Trout Point, . . . 
Trout Point, . . . 
Mouni Rapids, . . 
Mount Rapids, . . 
Wanakopow Lake, 
Wanakopow Lake, 

13 miles from outlet of 
18 miles from outlet of 
18 miles from outlet of 

3 miles above entrance 
3 miles above entrance 
3 miles above entrance 

8 miles above entrance 
10 miles above entran 
10 miles above entrain 
21 miles above entrane 
21 miles above entrani 
34 miles above entran 
34 miles above entran 
Base of Big Hill, 
Base of Big Hill, 
Top of Big Hill, . 
Geoffrey Lake, . 
Geoffrey Lake, . 
Base of Big Hill, . 
Base of Big Hill, . 
Top of Big Hill, . 
Geoffrey Lake, . 
Fourth Lake, 
Big Lake, .... 

Big Lake 

West end of Big Lake 
10 miles northwest of 
10 miles northwest of 
Top of Grand Falls, . 
Base of Grand Falls, 
Grand Falls 



METEOROLOGJ 



Date. 


Time. 


LOCA 


1B91. 






Sept. 3 


8 A.M. 


Tableland above C 




6 P.M. 


Hill 12 miles S. E. 


4 


8 A.M. 


Hill 12 miles S. F. 




5 P.M. 


Top of Big Hill, 




6 P.M. 


Base of Big Hill, 


5 


8 A.M. 


Base of Big Hill, 


6 


8 A.M. 


Base of Big Hill, 




6 P.M. 


24 miles below Bis 


7 


8 A.M. 


24 miles below Bi< 




10 A.M. 


3 miles above Lak 


8 


8 A.M. 


3 miles above Lak 




5 P.M. 


Lower end Lake ^ 


9 


8 A.M. 


Lower end Lake \ 




9"3o A.M. 


Head of Mouni R 




u - 30 A.M. 


Base of Mouni Re 




3 P.M. 


Head of Slackwa: 




6 P.M. 


9 miles above Nir 


10 


8 A.M. 


9 miles above Nin 




10 A.M. 


End of Slackwate' 




il'45 A.M. 


Base of Ninnipi K 




1215 P.M. 


Hetid of Horseshc 




1250 P.M. 


Base of Horsesho, 




1 30 P M. 


Head of Gull Isla 




5'3° P M. 


Middle of Gull i s i 


11 


8 A.M. 


Middle of Gull Is' 




5'io P.M. 


Muskrat Falls, . 


12 


8 A.M. 


Muskrat Falls, . 
Top of Muskrat I 
Base of Muskrat i 




2 PM. 


Top of Portage M 




3 P.M. 


Base of Portage 1^ 




7 P.M. 


20 miles below Mi 


13 


9 A.M. 


20 miles below M- 




1 P.M. 


Mouth of Grand 



Estimated distance of Grand Falls frc 
Estimated height of tableland above i 
Mean Minimum Temperature during 
Mean Maximum Temperature durine 
Minimum Temperature registered on 
Maximum Temperature registered on 



APPENDIX C. 

METEOROLOGICAL NOTES. GRAND RIVER. LABRADOR. ,89,. 



Rabbit Island, 

Mouth of Grand River 

9 A.M. Muakrat Island, 

8 A.M. 1 Top of Portage Muskrat rails, . . . 
8A.M. Topof Pot tage Muskrat Falls. . . . 

9 A.M. River level above Muskrat Falls, . . 

8 A.M. Sandy Bank 

8 A.M. , Pinnett'8 River 

8 A.M. ' Gull Island Lake 

6 P.M. I Head of Gull Island Rapids. . . 

9-30 A.M. ; Head of Gull Island Rapids 

j Bottom of Lower Horseshoe Rapids, 

6 P.M. Top of Lower Horseshoe Rapids, . . 
8-45 A.M. Top of Lower Horseshoe Rapids, 

6 P.M Lower Niunipi Island 

8 A.M. Lower Ninnipi Island, 

6 P.M. Ninnipi Rapid 

8 A.M. Ninnipi Rapid, . 

8 A.M. 12 miles above Ninnipi Rapids. . . . 
Slackwatcr, 

6 P.M. Slackwater, 

8 A.M. Slackwater 

1 P M. Cascade 

6 P.M. 2 miles above Cascade 

8 A.M. 2 miles ab"ve Cascade, 

I P M. 7 miles above Cascade, 

6 P.M. Crescent Lake 

8 A.M. Crescent Lake 

5 miles aiiove Crescent Lake 

6 P.M. Trout Point 

8 A.M. Trout Point 

5-45P.M. Mouni Rapids 

8 A.M. Mouni Rapids 

4 P.M. Wanakopow Lake 

8 A.M. Wanakopow Lake, 

13 miles from outlet of Lake 

6 P.M. 18 miles from outlet of Lake 

9 A.M. 18 miles from outlet of Lake, . . . . 

3 miles above entrance to Lake, . . 

8 A.M. 3 miles above entrance to Lake, . . 

8 A.M. 3 miles above entrance to Lake, . . 

8 miles above entrance to Lake, . . 

5-45 P.M. 10 miles above entrance to Lake, . . 

8 A.M. 10 miles above entrance to Lake, . . 

6 P.M. 21 miles above entrance to Lake, . . 

8 A.M. 2t miles above enlrance to Lake, . . 
615 P.M. 34 miles above entrance to Lake, . . 

8 A.M. 3i miles above entrance to Lake, . . 

4 P.M. Base of Big Hill 

8 A.M. Base of Big Hill 

Topof Big Hill 

Geoffrey Lake 

8 A.M. Geoffrey Lake 

5 P.M. Base of Big Hill 

8 A.M. Base of Big Hill 

Topof Big Hill 

8 A.M. Geoffrey Lake 

Fourth Lake, 

Big Lake 

8 A.M. Big Lake 

West end of Big Lake 

6-30 P.M. 10 miles northwest of Big Lake, . . . 
8 A.M. 10 miles northwest of Big Lake, . . , 

4P.M. Top of Grand Falls 

5-30 P.M. BaseofGraud Falls 

8 A.M. Grand Falls 



si n 

=- 1 - 



55 3°''° — 
— — 62 
52 30-15 — 



s| 


2980 


«s 




6S 


2974 


58 


2986 


60 


30- 




29-94 


60 


2975 


57 


2970 


5* 


2963 


48 


ao'58 


48 


29*20 


57 


29-60 


48 


29-95 


52 


29-96 


59 


-".175 


5<> 


2970 


60 


2968 


- 


= 



Occasional showers. 



J 9_>1 
29-72 



2944 

2925 
29-60 



Rain. 
Rain. 
Rain. 

fin camp. 82° max. temp. 
( reg. during day. 



Rain. Violent gale ev'g. 



8 A.M. 

5 P.M. 

6 P.M. 
8A.M. 
8 A.M. 
6 P.M. 
8 A.M. 

10 A.M. 
8 A.M. 

5 P.M. 
8 A.M. 

g'30 A.M. 

irjo A.M. 

3P-M. 

6 P.M. 
8 A.M. 

10 A.M. 
1-45 A.M. 
2.5 P.M. 
:> su P.M. 
130P M. 
S'30 P M. 
8 A.M. 
■10 P.M. 
8 A.M. 



2 PM. 
3P-M. 
7 P.M. 



APPENDIX C. CONTINUED. 

lETEOROLOGICAT. NOTES, GRAND RIVER, LABRADOR, 1S91— RETURN JOURNEY. 



Tableland above Grand Falls . 
Hill 12 miles S. E. of Grand Falls, 



Hill 12 miles S. E, of Grand Falls, 
Top of Big Hill, 



Base of Big Hill 

Base of Big Hill 

Base of HigHill, 

24 miles below Bur Hill, 

24 miles below Big Hill, ... . 
3 miles above Lake Wanakopow 
3 miles above Lake Wanakopow, 
Lower end Lake Wanakopow, . 
Lower end Lake Wanakopow, . 

Head of Moulli Rapids 

Base of Mouni Ripids 

Head of Slackwaier, 

9 miles above Nitnipi Rapids, . 
9 miles above Nir.nipi Rapids, . 

End of Slackwattr, ; 

Base of Ninuipi Rapids 

HeadofHorseshce Rapids,. . . 
Base of Horseshoe Rapids, . . . 
Head of Gull Island Rapids, . . 
Middle of Gull Is'and Lake, . . 
Middle of Gull Island Lake, . . 

Muskrat Falls, 

Muskrat Falls 

Top of Muikrat Kails 

Base of Muskrat Fal's 

Top of Portage Muskrat Falls, . 
Base of Portage Muskrat Falls, . 
20 miles below Muskrat Fall >, . 



"- 






667 
867 
867 
960 
960 
1,017 
1,017 
1,017 
1,017 
1,017 
1,13s 



-r 153 feet indicates elevation 
of camp above level ot table- 
land. 

Rain. 



Occasional showers. 



Occasional showers. 



Heightof Muskrat Falls, 66 a. 

Height of portage, 210 feet. 
No perceptible drop in river 
below Muskrat Falls. 



Estimated distance of Grand Falls frcm mouth of Grand River, 

Estimate.! height of tableland above sea level 

Mean Minimum Temnerature during 41 nights of journey, . . 
1 Temperature durine 41 nights of journey, . . 



1.477 feet. 



Mean Ma 

Minimum Temperature registered t 

Maximum Temperature registered on 'journey, 



. August 15th = 
. August 13th = 



APPENDIX C. CONTINUED. 

•CAT, NOTES, GRAND RIVER, LABRADOR, 1S91.— RETURN JOURNEY. 





32 


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Remarks. 






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w 


w 




irand Falls, . . . 


53 


62 


56 


23-sS 












of Grand Falls, . 










45 


28-42 


12 


+ 153 


+ 153 feet indicates elevation 
of camp above level of table- 
land. 


of Grand Falls, . 


43 


55 


5° 


28-38 


— 


— 


— 


— 


Rain. 












55 
60 


28-74 
29 '45 


27 
28 


192 
S67 






















45 
3° 


54 
55 








28 


867 
867 


In camp. 






48 


29 '82 


— 


— 


28 


' Hill, 












57 


29-92 


52 
52 


960 
960 




; Hill, ... 




40 


53 


5° 


29-70 




e Wanakopow 




— 






— 


53 


29-76 


67 


1,017 


Rain. 


e Wanakopow, 




4i 


56 


45 


29-58 




— 


67 


1,017 




Vanakopow, . 




— 


— 


— 


— 


5° 


29-58 


i°5 


1,017 




Vanakopow, . 




33 


47 


41 


2942 


— 


— 


105 


1,017 








— 


— 


— 


— 


51 


29-42 


no 


1,017 








— 


— 


— 


— 


5« 
54 


29 '55 
2961 


120 
130 


1,138 

1,192 








Occasional showers. 


nipi Rapids, . 




— 


— 


— 


— 


48 


29-64 


H5 


1,219 




nipi Rapids, . 




3» 


5° 


44 


29-8.S 


— 


— 


145 


1,219 
















47 
49 


29 90 
29 92 




1,264 




apids, . ... 




— 


— 


— 


— 


156 


1,284 
















51 
52 
55 


29 '94 
29'95 
29 '95 




1,302 
















166 


1.311 








— 


— 


— 


— 


I69 


i,3" 




and Lake, . . 




— 


— 


— 


— 


6s 


29'9 S 


178 


1.338 




and I,ake, . . 




42 


57 


55 


29-94 






178 


1,338 


Occasional showers. 






— 


— 


— 


— 


57 


30-02 


208 


1,411 








3i 


46 


— 


— 


7i 


29 '95 


208 
208 


1,411 
1,411 




alls 






Tal's, 




— 


— 


— 


— 


73 


30'02 


208 


1,477 


Height of Muskrat Falls, 66 ft. 


uskrat Falls, . 




— 


— 


— 


— 


77 


29 '85 


208 


— 




[iiskrat Falls, . 




— 


— 


— 


— 


7i 


30 07 


208 


— 


Height of portage, 210 feet. 


iskrat FalK . 
















22 S 


— 


No perceptible drop in river 
below Muskrat Falls. 


lskrat Falls, . 




55 


6s 


— 


— 


— 


— 


228 


— 




















233 











m mouth of Grand River, 

;ea level, 

41 nights of journey, . . 

41 nights of journey, . . 
journey, 

journey, , 



August 15th = 
August 13th = 



233 miles 
1,477 feet. 

K 

29 
72 



50 



60 



55-1 



'.:* - 



' 



